Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

A recent study by University of Southern California Professor Dmitri Williams found an overwhelming lack of diversity in video game characters. Williams, a social psychologist by training, compared the ethnic diversity found in his survey of 150 games across nine platforms and all ratings to categories contained in the American census. He found that fewer than 3 percent of video game characters were recognizably Hispanic and none were playable. Native Americans and biracial characters were practically non-existent. African Americans enjoyed a rate of 10.74 percent, with a big caveat; they were mostly athletes and gangsters. <br /> <br /> The assertion that whites constitute the majority of consumers in the gaming industry is inaccurate. According to The Kaiser Family Foundation, African American youth between the ages of 8 and 18 play games 30 minutes more per day than white youth, while Hispanics play an average of 10 minutes more. <br /> <br /> Until research is done on the motivation of video game developers and the publishers they work for, we can only make educated guesses as to the overwhelming lack of diversity within the industry. We can be certain about one thing, however. From the press to the games they cover, the absence of black or Hispanic characters is limiting its fan base, its narrative potential, and its creative ideas.

Spot the difference: The London Evening Standard, whose front page yesterday suggested Grand Theft Auto had inspired London's riots, later issued a reprint binning the game blame reference altogether.

Rockstar writes - The Advertising Council of Liberty City, Vice City & San Andreas is proud to bring you these hard-to-find gems of radio ad creative of years past. By popular demand, The Ad Council will be posting some of the most memorable commercials to ever hit the airwaves.

GameSpot writes: Wii Remote pack-in leads list of all-time titles; Guitar Hero III, GTA: San Andreas, Modern Warfare 2, Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii, Call of Duty 4, Madden NFL 07, COD: World at War, and Namco Museum also make chart. Last week when NPD released its December 2009 US sales numbers, it declared that three of the 10 games of all time were from the Call of Duty franchise. Today, the industry-research firm released its list of top 10 domestic non-PC games to date, which reconfirmed that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the fourth best seller of all time. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came in seventh place, followed by Call of Duty: World at War in ninth. Don't call it a comeback--it's been here for years. Unfortunately, NPD's number-one best-selling software game is a game many people don't consider a game at all. The Wii Remote pack-in minigames compilation Wii Play is now the top-selling software game product of all time in the United States, beating out Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (second) and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (third).

Struggling to stay afloat, Take-Two decided to ship Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas with a sex scene in the game and later lied to investors to cover up their decision, according to the suit settled today. The 2006 suit, which was tentatively settled for $20 million, also alleges that company officers earned more than $18 million in insider trading even as the company's stock plummeted. As a result of the disclosures of the Company's true financial condition, its stock ratings have been slashed, the suit, initially filed by John Fenninger who purchased Take-Two common stock, states. Moreover, the Company is exposed to class action lawsuits and regulatory enforcement actions brought by the Attorney Generals of several states. While the public investors lost over one billion dollars in market capitalization, the Individual Defendants pocketed over $18 million in insider trading proceeds.

GP Reports: If you are still one of those people that have not played Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you might want to pick the game up this coming Monday as Microsoft is releasing San Andreas...

Speaking in an earnings call following the release of Q3 financials last night, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder said that old GTA titles have sold in seven figure units for the quarter.

WSBTV writes: Fulton County officials said they have arrested three teens and charged them with 57 felony counts in connection with a recent series of car bombings with Molotov cocktails in the city of Milton, north of Atlanta. The felony charges include arson, criminal damage to property and possession of explosive devices in six vehicle fires between 11 p.m. July 24 and 3 a.m. July 25. Each teen is charged with 19 counts. Officials said the teens -- ages 15 and 16 -- told authorities they learned how to do it from playing the video game 'Grand Theft Auto.'

A federal judge has put the brakes on a lawsuit filed over sex scenes buried in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. United States District Judge Shirley Wohl Kram wrote that purchasers of the game could not be lumped together in a class action. The claims of members of the proposed class would be affected by the law in each purchaser's home state, Judge Kram wrote, and therefore could not be resolved in a single proceeding in federal court in New York. Accordingly, the court decertifies the settlement class on the grounds that common issues do not predominate over individualized issues, the judge wrote.

MCV: The Rockstar co-founder looks back over his amazingly successful career, discussing his biggest challenges, successes - and what's he's still to achieve.